Gripping device for a cooking utensil

ABSTRACT

The handle device for a cooking utensil comprises a grip ( 16 ) formed by a plate ( 11 ) sandwiched between two strips ( 12, 13 ), with a portion ( 14 ) of the plate ( 11 ) at its front end being terminated by a nose ( 15 ) and with a locking/unlocking device ( 20 ) being slidably mounted on the plate ( 11 ) and urged towards the nose ( 15 ) by resilient means ( 21 ). The locking/unlocking device ( 20 ) comprises a control pushbutton ( 22 ) placed at the front end of the grip ( 16 ) above the plate portion ( 14 ) and a latch ( 23 ) connected to the pushbutton ( 22 ) by a slider ( 24 ) placed in the front portion of the grip ( 16 ). This disposition of the pushbutton ( 22 ) at the front end of the grip ( 16 ) avoids accidental unlocking while the cooking utensil is in use.

[0001] The invention relates to the field of cooking utensils having atleast one outwardly-directed lug forming a handle plate.

[0002] In order to handle such cooking utensils, it is common practiceto use a removable handle comprising a grip that is stick-shaped. Havinga handle that is removable makes it possible to greatly reduce theoverall outside dimensions of the utensil, for example when the utensilis used for cooking in an oven, or while it is being washed in amachine, or for storage purposes.

[0003] Removable handles are already known suitable for cooperating withthe lug of the utensil, said lug having a slot for receiving a hook,nose, or other fixed element of the handle, and the handle alsoincluding a sliding member mounted thereon and locking on the lug.

[0004] The state of the art is illustrated by FR 2 579 444 and DE 25 10894 which show removable handles in which the sliding member is actuatedby a control pushbutton located on the top face of the grip.

[0005] EP 0 852 924, in the name of the Applicant, discloses an extraflat handle in which the control pushbutton is slidably mounted on thetop face of the handle.

[0006] Those removable handles generally give satisfaction.Nevertheless, when they are used by a person who is elderly orhandicapped, and who has difficulty in lifting the cooking utensil witha single hand that grips the handle firmly, the hand can take up aposition over the control pushbutton. If the hand of the elderly orhandicapped person then slips slightly on the handle, then thelocking/unlocking member can move into the unlocked position, which canlead to a catastrophe.

[0007] The object of the invention is to provide a handle which includesa grip and in which the position of the control pushbutton makes itpossible to avoid the above-described situation.

[0008] According to the invention, the control pushbutton is placed atthe end of the grip so as to leave the entire grip free and so as toavoid any risk of accidental unlocking while it is in use.

[0009] The invention thus provides a handle device for a cooking utensilpresenting at least one outwardly-directed lug having a slot formedtherein substantially parallel to the inside edge of the lug, saidhandle device comprising a removable handle provided with an S-bend nosesuitable for being inserted into the slot of the lug from above, alocking/unlocking member mounted on said handle so as to be capable ofsliding along the axis of said handle, and resilient means for urgingthe locking/unlocking member towards the nose, said locking/unlockingmember presenting a control pushbutton on the top face of the handle, alatch on the bottom face of the handle for co-operating with the outsideedge of the lug, and a slider interconnecting the pushbutton and thelatch.

[0010] According to the invention, this handle device is characterizedby the facts that:

[0011] a) the handle comprises a grip formed by a plate sandwichedbetween a top strip and a bottom strip, said plate being extended at thefront end of said grip by a plate portion which is terminated by thenose;

[0012] b) said plate has an oblong slot between the inside faces of saidstrips for guiding the slider;

[0013] c) a cavity open to the front face of the grip is provided in thefronts of the inside faces of said strips in register with the oblongslot; and

[0014] d) the control pushbutton is placed at the front of the handleand is connected to the slider by an arm.

[0015] The following advantageous dispositions can also be adopted:

[0016] the locking/unlocking member is made as a single piece;

[0017] the plate includes a recess towards the rear end of the grip andin line with the slot, the recess being broader than said oblong slot soas to allow the latch to be passed therethrough during assembly;

[0018] the latch is in the form of a stud which, in the retractedposition, is received in part in a notch formed in the front face of thebottom strip;

[0019] the oblong slot and the cavities provided at the front ends ofthe strips house resilient means bearing against the rear face of theslider and against the end wall of the cavities;

[0020] the plate also includes a cutout for receiving a correspondingprojection formed on the inside face of at least one of the strips so asto prevent sliding of said strip relative to the plate; and

[0021] at least one of the strips has a cavity in register with thecutout and in its inside face for receiving a corresponding projectionformed on the inside face of the other strip.

[0022] Other advantages and characteristics of the invention appear onreading the following description made by way of example and given withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0023]FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section on a vertical plane of symmetrythrough the handle device of the invention in its in-use position on thelug of a cooking utensil;

[0024]FIG. 2 is a plan view of the FIG. 1 handle device;

[0025]FIG. 3 is a cross-section view on line III-III of FIG. 1 throughthe handle device;

[0026]FIG. 4 is a plan view of the bottom strip of the grip;

[0027]FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section view on line V-V of FIG. 4;

[0028]FIG. 6 is a plan view of the plate of the grip;

[0029]FIG. 7 is a longitudinal section on line VII-VII of FIG. 6;

[0030]FIG. 8 is a view showing the underside of the top strip of thegrip; and

[0031]FIG. 9 is a longitudinal section view on line IX-IX of FIG. 8.

[0032]FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 show the lug 2 of a cooking utensil, of whichonly a peripheral portion 4 is shown. This lug 2 has a slot 5 extendingsubstantially parallel to its inside edge 6. The lug 2 extends outwardsfrom the utensil, substantially horizontally, and it presents an outsideedge 7 substantially parallel to its inside edge 6.

[0033] Reference 10 designates a removable handle used for handling thecooking utensil.

[0034] This removable handle 10 comprises a one-piece plate 11 which isrigid and of small thickness, sandwiched between a top strip 12 and abottom strip 13. The strips 12 and 13 have substantially the same widthas the plate 11, but they are shorter than the plate 11. In front of thestrips 12 and 13, the plate has a portion 14 which presents an S-bendnose 15 at its end suitable for penetrating down into the slot 5 fromabove the lug 2. The width of the nose 15 is smaller than the width ofthe plate 11 and is substantially equal to the length of the slot 5.Thus, going from its front end towards its rear end, the handle 10presents the plate portion 14 followed by a grip 16 made up of thestrips 12 and 13 placed on either side of the plate 11. The plateextends beyond the rear end of the grip 16 where it provides a loop 17(see FIG. 6) enabling the removable handle 10 to be hooked onto a hookfor storage.

[0035] At the front end of the grip 16, the handle 10 has alocking/unlocking device 20 which is urged continuously towards the nose15 by resilient means 21 disposed inside the grip 16.

[0036] This locking/unlocking device 20 has a control pushbutton 22above the plate portion 14 and spaced apart therefrom by the thicknessof the lug 2. It has a latch 23 for co-operating with the outside edge 7of the lug 2, and it also has a slider 24 interconnecting the controlpushbutton 22 and the latch 23. The slider 24 is mounted to slide in anoblong slot 25 formed in the plate 11 between the front ends of theinside walls 12 a and 13 a of the plates 12 and 13.

[0037] Cavities 26 and 27 open to the front face of the grip 16 areprovided in register with the oblong slot 25 in the inside walls 12 aand 13 a, respectively.

[0038] The cavities 26 and 27 are defined by walls parallel to the axis30 of the removable handle 10, which walls are at a small distance fromthe slider 24 so as to avoid impeding sliding thereof over the plate 11.The width of the cavities 26 and 27 is greater than the width of theoblong slot 25.

[0039] As can be seen clearly in FIG. 3, the slider 24 has two sidegrooves 28 a and 28 b parallel to the axis 30 and in which the edges ofthe oblong slots 25 are received.

[0040] Above the wall portion 14, the slider 24 has an arm 29 with thecontrol pushbutton 22 being carried on the end thereof.

[0041] The control pushbutton 22 located at the front end of the grip 16is in the form of a curved plate that is extended by a tab 31 overlyingthe front end of the grip 16.

[0042] The latch 23 is in the form of a stud having a sloping front wall32 enabling the latch 23 to snap-fasten automatically to the edge 7 ofthe lug 2 when the nose 15 is inserted into the slot 5 of the lug 2 andthe handle 10 is pivoted downwards about the nose 15.

[0043] The resilient means 21 are in the form of a spring bearingagainst the ends of the cavities 26 and 27 and bearing against the rearface 33 of the slider 24.

[0044] Advantageously, the locking/unlocking device 20 is made as asingle molding.

[0045] The resilient means 21 urge the device 20 towards the nose 15. Inthis position, the slider 24 bears against the front edge 34 of theoblong slot 25, which front edge is situated in the same plane as thefront face of the grip 16, and the arm 29 extends forwards over theexternal portion 14 of the plate 11. When a manual force is exerted onthe front face of the control pushbutton 22 towards the rear of the grip16 against the resilient force 21, the slider 24 slides towards the rearend of the oblong slot 25, the arm 29 is received in the cavity 26, andthe latch 23 is received in part in a notch 35 formed in the front faceof the bottom strip 13. In this retracted position of thelocking/unlocking device 20, the control pushbutton 22 covers the frontend of the top strip 12, and the latch 23 is disengaged from the outsideedge 7 of the lug 2, thereby allowing the removable handle 10 to beseparated from the lug 2.

[0046] The strips 12 and 13 are fixed to each other and to the plate 11in conventional manner by means of two screws 40.

[0047] FIGS. 4 to 9 show the plate 11, the top strip, and the bottomstrip in greater detail.

[0048] As can be seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the plate 11 has the plateportion 14 terminated by the nose 15 at its front end and has the loop17 surrounding an orifice 41 at its rear end. The plate 11 issymmetrical about a midplane containing the axis 30. Between the plateportion 14 and the orifice 41 there are cut out the rectangular oblongslot 25 which allows the slider 24 to slide, a recess 42 of greaterwidth than the slot 25, and then a cutout 43 whose function is explainedbelow. The size of the recess 42 is not less than the broadest sectionof the latch 23. In order to assemble the handle 10, thelocking/unlocking device 20 is mounted initially on the plate 11, bypassing the latch 23 through the recess 42 and then pushing the slider24 towards the slot 25.

[0049]FIGS. 4 and 5 show the bottom strip 13 whose inside face 13 apresents an internal cavity 45 facing the recess 42 and the cutout 43,and also presents bores 45 a, 46 b for passing the screws 40 and forreceiving the heads of the screws. At the front end of the top strip 13there can be seen the cavity 27 which receives a portion of the slider24, and the notch 35 which receives a portion of the latch 23 when inthe retracted position.

[0050]FIGS. 8 and 9 show the top strip 12 whose front end has the cavity26. Beneath the inside face 12 a of the top strip there is provided aprojection 47 whose horizontal section is identical to the sections ofthe recess 42 and of the cutout 43 in the plate 11, and to thehorizontal section of the cavity 45 in the bottom strip 13. Thethickness of the projection 47 is substantially equal to the sum of thethickness of the plate 11 plus the depth of the cavity 45 in the bottomstrip 13.

[0051] The function of this projection 47 is to prevent relative slidingbetween the top strip 12, the plate 11, and the bottom strip 13.

[0052] Inserts 48 a and 48 b having tapped bores for receiving thescrews 40 are embedded in the top strip 12.

[0053] The strips 12 and 13 are molded out of a hard plastics material.

[0054] The plate 11 is made of rigid stainless metal.

1/ A handle device for a cooking utensil presenting at least oneoutwardly-directed lug (2) having a slot (5) formed thereinsubstantially parallel to the inside edge (6) of the lug (2), saidhandle device comprising a removable handle (10) provided with an S-bendnose (15) suitable for being inserted into the slot (5) of the lug (2)from above, a locking/unlocking member (20) mounted on said handle (10)so as to be capable of sliding along the axis of said handle (10), andresilient means (21) for urging the locking/unlocking member (20)towards the nose (15), said locking/unlocking member (20) presenting acontrol pushbutton (22) on the top face of the handle (10), a latch (23)on the bottom face of the handle (10) for co-operating with the outsideedge (7) of the lug (2), and a slider (24) interconnecting thepushbutton (22) and the latch (23), the device being characterized bythe facts that: a) the handle comprises a grip (16) formed by a plate(11) sandwiched between a top strip (12) and a bottom strip (13), saidplate (11) being extended at the front end of said grip (16) by a plateportion (14) which is terminated by the nose (15); b) said plate (11)has an oblong slot (25) between the inside faces (12 a, 13 a) of saidstrips (12, 13) for guiding the slider (24); c) a cavity (26, 27) opento the front face of the grip (16) is provided in the fronts of theinside faces (12 a, 13 a) of said strips (12, 13) in register with theoblong slot (25); and d) the control pushbutton (22) is placed at thefront of the handle (16) and is connected to the slider (24) by an arm(29). 2/ A handle device according to claim 1, characterized by the factthat the locking/unlocking member (20) is made as a single piece. 3/ Ahandle device according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that theplate (11) includes a recess (42) towards the rear end of the grip (16)and in line with the slot (25), the recess (42) being broader than saidoblong slot (25) so as to allow the latch (23) to be passed therethroughduring assembly. 4/ A handle device according to claim 3, characterizedby the fact that the latch (23) is in the form of a stud which, in theretracted position, is received in part in a notch (35) formed in thefront face of the bottom strip (13). 5/ A handle device according toclaim 3 or claim 4, characterized by the fact that the oblong slot (25)and the cavities (26, 27) provided at the front ends of the strips (12,13) house resilient means (21) bearing against the rear face (33) of theslider (24) and against the end wall of the cavities (26, 27). 6/ Ahandle device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized bythe fact that the plate (11) also includes a cutout (43) for receiving acorresponding projection (47) formed on the inside face (12 a, 13 a) ofat least one of the strips (12, 13) so as to prevent sliding of saidstrip (12, 13) relative to the plate (11). 7/ A handle device accordingto claim 6, characterized by the fact that at least one of the strips(12, 13) has a cavity (45) in register with the cutout (43) and in itsinside face (12 a, 12 b) for receiving a corresponding projection (47)formed on the inside face (12 a, 12 b) of the other strip (12, 13).